NY Puckleberry
by gabbi3
Summary: NY Puckleberry II: Berry Paranoid now up - Follow the story to see how Rachel finds out where Puck is getting his mystery money.
1. Professional Bum

**_A/N: This is an offshoot of my Puck/Santana fic. Puckleberry. R&R. ;)_**

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**NY Puckleberry**

_**New York. Puck and Rachel's apartment.** _

Rachel was sitting on their couch, bent over the coffee table, going over her notes for her Italian Diction class when Puck came in, dropped his gym bag on the floor and plopped on to the couch beside her. He then proceeded to hand her some cash.

"Rent," was his short explanation.

Rachel stared at the money Puck just handed her, before looking at him incredulously.

Noticing the questioning look on her eyes, he flashed her his signature smirk - the very same smirk that she had learned to both love and hate over the years. "You didn't think I could come up with my share of the rent, did you?" he asked, flipping his brows arrogantly at her.

"It's not like that. I was simply perplexed that you would be able to come up with the required cash, considering that you are currently unemployed. And I know for a fact that you spent the last of your savings when you agreed to accompany me here and when you paid your share of the rent last month," she expounded. "I did not mean to make you feel like I was questioning your ability to..."

"Shut up, Berry," he interrupted her, placing two fingers over her lips to keep her from talking even more. "Geez. I'm seriously never going to get used to all your talking."

She opened her mouth to defend herself only to be silenced by his raised eyebrow.

"Look, Rach, don't worry about where I got the money, okay?" He spoke the words in the tone of voice that he used when he wanted something from her - sweet, alluring and always effectively weakening to the knees. "I'm your man. Let me take care of things, okay?"

Rachel's mind was still reeling with questions regarding where her boyfriend got his money, but the way he was looking at her in that specific moment made her not want to ask. 'I'll eventually find out where you're getting your money,' she thought determinedly, never being one to give up, 'but now, I'll let you charm your way out of this one.'

After dating him for almost a year and living with him for a couple of months, if there was anything that Rachel knew for sure about Puck, it was that she could always expect him to do the unexpected.

Back in high school, when she was expecting him to drink slushies, he threw them at her face. When she got used to it and was expecting him to throw them at her face, he handed them over to her – grape flavor. When she was expecting him to back down from doing a solo, he went ahead and proved his "badassness" by serenading her with Sweet Caroline. When she was expecting him to choose football over glee, he chose glee. When she was expecting him to not be the father of Quinn's baby, he was. When she was expecting him to become Quinn's, he became hers… not that she was complaining, but one gets the point.

It wasn't that much different now that they were adults living independently.

When they arrived in New York, Rachel fully expected him to immediately find a job, because that was, of course, the logical thing to do. Puck, being the antithesis of everything that is logical, surprised her by settling himself to becoming the perfect specimen of a professional bum.

He was always either at home (watching TV, playing video games or tinkering with his guitar) or at the gym "kicking serious ass" (his words, not hers). That's the bum part.

That being the case, it would only be natural for her to expect that he won't have money to help out with their daily expenses, right? Wrong.

It was beyond Rachel's comprehension, but in spite of him slumming around all day every day, he could always cash out when necessary. That's the professional part.

She expected for him to give her some sort of explanation, but all she got was his (successful) attempts to dodge the topic or an alpha male speech about trusting her man to bring home the bacon.

This went on for months, and whenever Puck handed her some money, she would ask him a different question.

"Noah Puckerman, are you involved in some sort of illegal activity?"

"I heard about a bank robbery on the news. That wasn't you, was it?"

"Forgive me for asking but you're not selling drugs, are you? No? Vitamin D? How about cupcakes?"

And all she got from him would be a sneer or he would just roll his eyes. For the drug question, she got a kiss (and more) because he found her persistence hot. It got to the point that Rachel was already certain that she would die of curiosity, suspicion or irritation.

One night, while she was driving home after a particularly tough day at school, Rachel finally found her answer. On a billboard, for all of New York to see, was a picture of Noah Puckerman, posing with two gorgeous girls and another guy (who, in Rachel's non-biased opinion, wasn't as good-looking as her boyfriend). The ad had a hippie chic vibe to it, the four models leaning over an old VW. The sign read, Thirteen Kilometers to a New Direction. 13KM was Kurt and Mercedes' clothing line.

A smile crossed Rachel Berry's full red lips.

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_**_A/N: To be completely honest, I totally have no idea how people end up making it into the fashion business (other than joining reality TV shows, but I didn't want to go that road). So if any of the storyline sounds implausible, it probably is. Kindly suspend disbelief and humor me by going along with it. :D This story will be a two-shot or a three-shot. _**

**_Please R&R._**


	2. Someday, you will all work for me

**_A/N: Hope you like it. ;)  
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Puck was on the bed, legs crossed. He was playing a few chords on his guitar, along with it, humming a tune that he's had stuck on his head all day long. He was in the middle of the tune when Rachel stormed in, dropped her stuff on the floor and daintily plopped herself on the edge of the bed - right in front of him.

She simply stared at him, her eyes twinkling, a soft smile etched on her beautiful face.

Puck creased his brows curiously as he stared back at her for a few seconds before breaking the silence. "You seem happy. Successful audition or something?" he pried.

Rachel pursed her lips and shook her head, her eyes teasing him with an _I-know-something-that's-making-me-ecstatic-and-I-ain't-gonna-tell _look.

"Okay. Now, you're just scaring me. What is it?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut her mouth as if she changed her mind and decided never to talk again. She simply laid her hands on her lap and continued staring at him, the smile on her face unwavering.

_What is up with her? _he wondered. "Geez, Berry. Talk. You're creeping me out."

When she still didn't say anything, and he was convinced that she was about to burst, he curled his lip into a naughty smirk and flicked his brows at her. "You want me, don't you?"

To his surprise, she laughed a little, and before he knew what was going on, she quickly laid both her hands on the back of his neck, leaned over and pulled him in for a kiss. He was stunned for a few seconds, but quickly recovered, relishing the taste of her lipstick and the feel of her soft lips against his. He gently moved the guitar from between them and placed it on the empty space of the bed beside them. With the guitar out of the way, he held her by the waist and pulled her petite figure closer to him, setting her over his lap as he leaned against the bed's headboard.

They made out for a few more minutes before Rachel pulled away from him, catching her breath.

He liked what was going on, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. _This is so unlike her, _he thought as he looked into her eyes. "What was that all about?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

She brushed a hand against his cheek, the soft smile never leaving her face, although her eyes now showed concern. "I'm proud of you, Noah, but I'm wondering why you didn't just tell me."

_What the hell is she talking about?_ he thought. "Okaaay," he drawled. "You totally lost me there."

She pouted as if she were disappointed that he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Rach, I know I'm awesome, but you... you are just being weird right now."

She huffed a sigh and rolled her eyes. "The billboard, okay? I saw the billboard."

Puck's face twisted in confusion. "Huh?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, now looking irritated. "I really don't see why it's necessary for us to play this charade. Why can't you just admit to me that the reason that you've been able to pull your weight with our expenses over the past few months is because you've been modeling?"

_Huwaaaatttt?! _"What the f-" he paused, knowing how much she detested it when he cursed. "Modeling? Dude, that's like so gay. Where in freaking hell did you get that idea? And what billboard?"

Rachel creased her brows, now realizing that he really didn't know what she was talking about. "Are you seriously and honestly telling me right now that you are unaware that there is a billboard with your face on it at Times Square?"

The dumbfounded expression on his face was enough of an answer.

Rachel looked confused. "I assure you that I know a picture of my boyfriend when I see it. That was you in that 13KM billboard. I am certain that I am not mistaken. I was even pleasantly surprised that Kurt and Mercedes has finally decided to broaden their horizons, by launching their clothing line here in the fashion capital that is the city of New York..."

Puck wasn't really listening to Rachel (who was clearly back to her old talkative self) anymore. At the mention of Kurt and Mercedes' clothing line, he quickly realized what was going on. "We're going out tomorrow," he seethed, interrupting Rachel who was probably still at the middle of her speech.

"Where to?" Rachel asked slightly perturbed that he hadn't been listening, but curious enough to ask.

"To Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones' funerals."

* * *

A couple of months ago. Lima, Ohio.

"You'll never be able to make Puck do it," Mercedes told Kurt, the tone of her voice convincing him that she was certain of it.

They were in Kurt's room, going over their plans of expansion for their clothing line, which they branded 13KM. (The name was actually Tina and Artie's idea. Tina suggested that they use the letters K and M to represent the first letters of their names and Artie added the number 13 to represent the 12 original members of New Directions. Plus Mr. Schue.)

Kurt and Mercedes had been the ones designing all the clothes for the glee club on all their performances, so when they first won sectionals, the duo decided to sell the designs online.

With the success of New Directions as a great promotional tool, sales for their online clothing line shot up so fast that one time, they had to shut the site down so they could cope up with manufacturing all the orders that they were getting.

Given 13KM's online success, upon graduation, Kurt and Mercedes looked into the possibility of establishing a boutique - and where better to start it than New York?

On that particular afternoon, they were going over how they were to promote the line to their online following before making the move to the Big Apple. A friend of Mercedes had graciously designed some possible advertisements they could post on their website or publish in magazines.

They were discussing a particular idea involving a car and the tag line 'Thirteen Kilometers to a New Direction' when Kurt brought up that Puck should be one of the models because he was certain that Puck would rock one of the outfits that they decided would be featured in the ad. That was what garnered Mercedes' convincing reaction.

"But he's perfect for it," Kurt insisted. "We need sort of like a bad boy look to balance out the other looks."

"Yeah, I can see him in it, but vain as Puck is, he will never agree to pose on a photo like this. Besides, he's in New York and the photo shoot is next week."

Kurt grinned. "Not really. I was chatting with Rachel the other day and she mentioned that Puck is coming over for a family reunion thing next week. I think I can make a way for him to agree to it." Kurt's eyes were twinkling with delight.

"If you say so..." Mercedes said, shrugging as they continued to discuss their plans.

* * *

On the day of the photo shoot.

"Heck. No," Puck emphasized from the end of the phone line. "There is no way that you and Mercedes are going to make me pose for some hippie photo."

"Noah Puckerman," Kurt said curtly, "you've bullied me from the time I stepped into the halls of McKinley High up to the time you joined glee and grew a heart. You know me well enough to know that I wouldn't be coming to you for this favor if I weren't so desperate."

"Why me?"

"One of our models ditched us and you have the look to become the perfect replacement," Kurt replied. "All you have to do is wear some very well-fashioned clothes that are too good for your taste and look good for a photo. This should be an honor. I don't see why you sound like you're getting punished."

"The answer is no, Hummel," was the firm response. "How do you even frickin' know that I'm in Lima?"

"Rachel told me," Kurt answered, and prepared himself to use his final ace. "If you don't agree to this, I'll call her up the moment we hang up and explain the situation to her."

Knowing exactly what Kurt was getting at, Puck groaned inside. He knew that he would never hear the end of it if Rachel found out that he wasn't willing to help a friend in need and he also knew that if she was the one trying to convince him, he wouldn't be able to say no. He loved her that much. "Fine, fine. Don't bring Rachel into this. You owe me one, Hummel."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, in spite of the grin that was on his face. "For the record, Noah, I do not owe you anything. You're going to get paid to do this."

"Damn right I should."

* * *

The photo shoot went on without a hitch. Kurt was right. Puck really did rock the look.

After the shoot, Puck approached Kurt and Mercedes, with a scowl on his face.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Kurt asked sullenly, his signature eyebrow raised.

"The photographer just asked me if I was gay," Puck huffed, not really answering Kurt's question.

Kurt grinned inwardly. He had noticed that Andre had his eyes on Puck the moment he arrived on the shoot.

"I'm surrounded by gay people," Puck complained. "The photographer's gay. The make-up guy is gay. Even the other model dude is gay. And from the way those two skinny-ass chicks you hired were clinging to each other, they're probably gay too. This is the reason I didn't want to do this."

"I'll take that as a no." Mercedes concluded, referring to the question Kurt asked that Puck completely ignored.

"But it's already done. I'm sure Rachel will totally dig it when she finds out that her boyfriend has been modeling..."

"She is not going to find out," Puck interrupted Kurt.

"Why not?" Kurt asked, cocking his head to the side as if sizing Puck up.

Puck frowned. "You know Rachel. She's got stars in her eyes. She'll be all over me to pursue this as a career, and there's no way I'm going to make a career out of standing around in gay clothes having gay photographers take gay pictures of me."

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with our gay friend here when we were doing glee," Mercedes brought up.

"Yeah?" Puck made a face before looking at Kurt. "Well, that's different. You're Kurt." Expecting that to explain everything, Puck wrinkled his nose. "You two had better pay me good money for this."

"Sign here," Kurt said, pointing on the line of the contract that Puck was supposed to put his signature in.

"What's that?" Puck asked suspiciously.

"It's an agreement saying that you're allowing us to use the photos that contain your image for our ad campaign," Mercedes explained.

"Let's make this clear. This is for like fashion magazines and stuff like that, right? None of the pictures that I'm on will come out of your website?"

Kurt nodded solemnly. "We promise."

"Fine," Puck muttered, thinking that it was safe because very few of the people he knew actually read fashion magazines and Rachel was too busy with Juilliard to browse through magazines. He signed on the lines Kurt pointed to, before Kurt handed him his paycheck.

"All paid," Kurt smiled.

Puck pocketed the envelope and nodded toward both Kurt and Mercedes. A slight smile crossed his lips. "It was good seeing you two again. Thanks," he said, looking a bit embarrassed, before walking away.

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged glances. "Puck," they said in unison as they fondly watched their friend disappear into the distance.

Kurt clutched the pieces of paper that Puck had signed, his face shining.

"What?" Mercedes asked curiously.

"I just gave Noah Puckerman a paycheck."

"Yeah. So?"

Kurt grinned. "Didn't I say before that someday he'll work for me?"

Mercedes couldn't help but smile. "Payback, huh?"

"Very fulfilling," Kurt said smugly.

"Hey, Kurt..." she started to say.

"Yes?"

"When Puck said 'fashion magazines and stuff like that', do you think that includes billboards?"

A mischievous grin crossed Kurt's face. "I don't see why not."

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_**A/N: So yeah... Puck really isn't a model, so the mystery of how Puck helps Rachel pay for the bills remains. R&R. ;)**_

**_Slight Correction: changed keys to chords... thanks to TheFaceInTheCrowd for the correction. =)_**


	3. Sunshine

**_A/N: Hope this doesn't disappoint. Fluffy. ;)  
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"I need to go to a spa!" Kurt exclaimed with more flair than usual, as he switched to full drama queen mode.

"Tell me about it," Mercedes sighed as she got on the cab's backseat right next to Kurt. "This morning has been way too exhausting." She looked like every bit of her energy had been drained away from her.

Their morning had been long and tiring from the moment it began up to the moment it ended - thanks to one too many mishaps, one absentee photographer, one diva photographer, a broken nose, and a very angry Puck.

"I think I'm traumatized," Kurt blurted out as he turned his head to look at Mercedes. "After today, I don't know if I will ever want to Tweet again."

* * *

Earlier that morning. Central Park.

Everything was already set for the photo shoot. The models were finally there and were already completely made up. The set was perfect. There was just one problem - the photographer was nowhere to be seen.

Mercedes was frantic. "Where the hell is Santiago?!" she burst out, referring to the Spanish photographer, who has been known to ditch a photo shoot or two before.

Kurt, who was never one to panic and always being conscious of his decorum, was on the phone calmly speaking to who Mercedes assumed to be Santiago.

This wasn't the first of the many mishaps that occurred over that morning. Topping the list was a mix-up caused by their assistant, Sheila, when she brought the wrong set of outfits for the shoot. Sheila had barely left the set to go get the right clothes when Mercedes got a call. It was surprisingly Sheila calling to inform her that one of the models just called saying that there was some sort of miscommunication and that they were in the wrong area of the park.

Kurt and Mercedes spent half the morning getting the models brought to the right area of Central park and attempting to calm the make up artists who professionally had all arrived on time only to find a set with no models.

Now that everything was straightened out, they realized that their photographer hadn't arrived yet. And as if that weren't enough chaos to contend with in one morning, Mercedes caught a glimpse of two familiar faces storming toward them. It was Puck, dragging behind him an excited-looking Rachel.

"Great," Mercedes breathed out sarcastically. "Just what we need right now."

The couple was fast approaching and upon reaching them, Puck looked like he was about to break both of them in half with his bare hands. "I am going to kill you both," he threatened, his eyes glaring daggers at the designer duo.

Rachel, on the other hand, was waving at them ecstatically, showing how happy she was to see them.

Kurt hung up from his phone conversation and looked at Puck from head to foot stoically. "I'm certain that you will, Puck. But as you will also soon realize, Mercedes and I are already dying out here, so additional assistance from you is completely unnecessary." Kurt turned his head toward Mercedes. "Santiago isn't showing up. He claims to be sick."

"Of what?!" Mercedes snapped.

"I have no idea. I couldn't understand the name of the disease he was claiming to have, and even if I did, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pronounce it." Kurt, keeping his poker-faced expression, then looked at Puck. "You can kill us once this fiasco is over." Turning to Rachel, he smiled. "I'm glad to see you, diva. Do me a favor and calm your boyfriend down while I try to find a replacement for our photographer."

With that, Kurt returned his attention to his phone and walked away.

"This day could not get any worse," Mercedes complained, laying a hand on her forehead.

Puck, on the other hand, was in shock. He had just been blown off by Kurt Hummel. He glared at Rachel for looking like she was having the time of her life.

Noticing his glare, Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his light brown eyes. She bit her lower lip, and gave him a sweet smile. "Come on, Noah, I haven't seen them for the longest time. Don't I have every right to be ecstatic about seeing them again?"

Looking down at her lovely face, he couldn't believe that she was helping them get away with what they did, and succeeding at it. He frowned. "I'm the victim here you know."

"Of course you are," she nodded sympathetically.

She was patronizing him, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why it was working. "Fine."

She proceeded to squeal and hug Mercedes as she lent a listening ear to the frazzled fashion designer, who seemed genuinely glad to see Rachel.

"Unbelievable," Puck groaned as he trailed behind Mercedes and Rachel, relaying the events that occurred before they arrived. He scratched his shaved head, wondering how his attempt to open Pandora's box on Kurt and Mercedes turned out to be a pity party between the fashion designer diva and his girlfriend.

* * *

Puck had no idea how long they'd been sitting on a nearby park bench when a voice bellowed, "Trust me to save the day!"

Puck cringed as he turned his head toward the familiar voice.

Walking toward them was Andre, the photographer from the photo shoot in Lima, with Kurt walking alongside him, a satisfied grin on his face. Puck rolled his eyes, still annoyed by the whole situation.

Upon seeing him, Andre quickly approached. "Ahh! It is you! Andre is here to take brilliant photos of you again."

"He's not one of the models today, Andre," Mercedes interceded. "I've never been this glad to see you."

"I know right?" Kurt piped up. "He was just around the vicinity. How convenient and strangely coincidental is that, right? It's perfect."

Kurt and Mercedes went on to discuss how amazingly miraculous that Andre was available and just within reach as they walked back to the set to get everything organized so they could start the shoot.

Andre was still looking at Puck. "Explain to Andre why you aren't modeling for this shoot. You and Andre make brilliant art together!"

"Kill me now," Puck seethed, just loud enough for Rachel, who was sitting beside him, to hear.

She squeezed his hand and looked up at the photographer with a smile. "Hi, there. I don't believe we've met. I'm Rachel Berry, Noah's girlfriend," she introduced herself, attempting to be cordial, knowing how Puck felt about the photographer. She stood up and reached her hand out for Andre to shake.

Andre looked at her from head to foot as if inspecting her. "_This_ is your girlfriend?" he asked Puck, completely ignoring the pretty brunette.

Puck stood up next to Rachel looking annoyed. "Yeah, man. Got a problem with that?"

"But she's so... plain... and petite," Andre frowned, staring back and forth from Puck to Rachel. "Andre just thinks that a model like you would be dating someone more... appropriate. Especially now that Andre's photo of you is about to turn you into a star."

Rachel was feeling the tension, as she held on to Puck's arm, her perfectly-manicured nails slightly digging into his biceps.

It wasn't the Italian photographer who was eying her from head to foot who was making her anxious. She didn't really care what he thought about her. It was Puck that she was nervous about. She could feel his muscles tense as he began to clench and unclench his fists.

Over the years, Puck has improved a lot in the area of controlling his temper, but he found it hard to hold back whenever someone he cared about was being insulted or looked down upon. This guy was getting into his deepest nerves for treating her that way, and Rachel was fully aware of it.

"Puck," she whispered, laying her left cheek on the back of his left shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Kurt and Mercedes need this guy."

"Let me maim him," he whispered back, ignoring the photographer who was still referring to himself in the third person and listing down reasons why Rachel was an inappropriate match for Puck. "Come on, babe. Let me break just one arm."

"No," Rachel said firmly. "He's not worth it."

"Even if it's just his left arm? He doesn't need it as much."

Rachel shook her head. To be honest, she was simply appalled by how unethical Andre was being and would have loved to see Puck - who has mastered more martial arts than she could keep track of - strike the sorry fellow, but she was also concerned for Kurt and Mercedes, whom she knew needed the photographer.

"Shut up, dude," Puck interrupted Andre who was still ranting. "You're insulting the next big Broadway star, you moron."

Rachel's eyes lit up as she looked at Puck fondly. Her heart soared at the knowledge of how much Puck believed in her that he could say those words with that much conviction.

Andre snorted, once again looking at Rachel despicably. "_That_? A Broadway star? Please... Andre knows a star when he sees it, and you do not refer to Andre with the word mor-"

"That's it!"

Before Andre could finish his sentence, an excruciating pain hit him on the stomach before he found his face meeting with Puck's rock solid fist.

* * *

Kurt's mouth dropped open (right along with Mercedes' and everyone else's) when he saw their photographer crouching on the ground screeching that his nose was broken.

Puck was standing over him, fists clenched, looking like he was nowhere near finished beating up the poor guy. Rachel, who was standing beside Puck, had her hand to her mouth, surprise in her eyes.

Kurt and Mercedes rushed toward the trio.

"What is wrong with you?!" Mercedes screamed at Puck as Kurt and Rachel assisted the photographer to his feet.

"What is wrong with me?" Puck retaliated, "What's wrong with him?! Moron's insulting my girlfriend to my face. He's being totally out of line."

Kurt and Mercedes both turned their eyes toward the injured Italian and then turned their gaze to Rachel.

"He was insulting you?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows raised.

Rachel nodded, looking almost apologetic. "It really isn't a big deal. I mean, yes... he _was_ saying some rather inappropriate things and was being quite uncivil, but it..."

Mercedes lifted a forefinger to silence Rachel, before looking at Andre. "You don't say nasty things about our friend and get away with it. Be thankful that I wasn't here to hear it, because I would've cut you."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged glances before glaring at the bleeding photographer. "You're fired," they both said in unison.

Andre glared at them. "How dare you fire the great Andre?!" Not really knowing what else to say, he shifted his gaze from Kurt and Mercedes to Puck and Rachel. "This isn't over. Andre will have his revenge." He looked specifically at Puck. "You are finished in the fashion business!"

Puck was just about ready to punch him again if Rachel wasn't there to hold him back.

With that, Andre stormed away, his entourage following after him.

The foursome watched the group fade into the distance, relishing the feeling of triumphant camaraderie. This feeling, however, proved to be short-lived when Mercedes' turned her eyes toward the set and all the people who were standing witness to their spectacle.

"Now what are we going to do?" she muttered.

* * *

"How hard could it freaking be?" was Puck's not-so-convincing defense to his idea of doing the photo shoot himself.

"What makes you think you can do this? You can't even choreograph to save your life," Mercedes snapped at him, Artie's stories about the guys' mash-up drifting on her mind.

"To Noah's defense, he took photos of me during our summer vacation at the beach and they're pretty good," Rachel informed.

"It doesn't even matter. We don't have a camera," Kurt crossed his arms.

"I still have my dad's digital SLR camera. It's in the car," Rachel offered.

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged glances, before Mercedes sighed. "Fine. What have we got to lose?"

* * *

Back to Kurt and Mercedes' conversation on the cab...

"After today, I don't know if I will ever want to Tweet again."

"What does Twitter have to do with anything?" Mercedes asked, looking confused.

"How do you think Puck and Rachel found out where we are?" Kurt showed his Twitter page to Mercedes using his Blackberry. His status, which he posted the night before, read 'Photo shoot at Central Park tomorrow morning. Excited, though exhausted!' followed by another one that morning - 'Here at the Pond, not the Pool. Ugh!'.

Mercedes grinned. "I don't know... Even if Puck practically maimed our photographer, he and Rachel did end up saving the day."

"Who knew Noah Puckerman had any other talent other than singing, playing the guitar and beating people up?" Kurt commented. "I think the photos are great though."

"Did you see Rachel's face? She was beaming like a proud stage mother," Mercedes agreed.

"Who wouldn't be proud? Puck keeps finding ways to surprise everyone."

Mercedes nodded. "He sure does. Can't believe I'm saying this, but Rachel's lucky to have him."

* * *

"See? How could I not think that it's totally amazing?" Rachel said, pointing at him on the billboard. They were stuck in New York traffic and was forced to stop - conveniently at a spot where the 13KM billboard was within eye-shot.

"Damn. I look hot," Puck grinned, as he peered at the billboard, his chin almost touching the steering wheel.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "How very humble of you to admit that."

Puck chuckled, as he fussed with her hair.

She lightly slapped his hand away. "Stop it."

After a comfortable silence, Rachel stared lovingly at Puck. "You really blew me away today, Noah. You did great at that photo shoot."

Puck raised an eyebrow and gave her a nonchalant look. "Thanks," he replied curtly, but he was more appreciative of her compliments than he let on.

"If you have the opportunity, do you think you'd like to pursue this? Being a photographer?"

He shrugged. "I guess. As long as it doesn't take up too much of my time."

Rachel rolled her eyes, biting her tongue before giving a smart-ass comment about him being a professional bum.

Puck, on the other hand, was thinking about the prospect of becoming a photographer. He admittedly enjoyed being behind the camera than in front of it. "It's kind of cool getting paid to take pictures of hot sexy models. It's like a dream job."

Rachel frowned and hit him on the shoulder. "I resent that."

"What?! It's true!" Puck exclaimed jokingly, a mischievous grin on his face.

Rachel crossed her arms against her chest and pouted.

Puck fussed with her hair again, knowing how much it annoyed her. "My girl's jealous."

"Am not," she defended, sounding like a five-year-old, as she pushed his hand away.

"Are too..."

She looked at him pensively. "Those gorgeous models will be hard to compete with, Noah," she said honestly.

He grinned. "You're the girl for me, Berry. Those models don't stand a chance."

* * *

The next morning, Puck woke up to find Rachel sleeping soundly next to him. The sun was striking her face at just the right angle. She looked so serene and his breath was taken away by how beautiful she looked.

He gently got off the bed, not wanting to wake her. He picked up the camera and began taking photos of her.

She woke up to find him still snapping photos of her. She smiled.

"Don't move," Puck instructed as he took a final shot of her. "Perfect."

Without a word, he laid the camera on the bedside table and kissed her.

* * *

Launching of the first ever 13KM boutique.

The ribbon-cutting was just finished and every one was slowly milling toward the boutique for some cocktails.

Puck and Rachel went straight to their friends to give them their much-deserved congratulations. Kurt and Mercedes were standing by the entrance, beaming at them as they approached.

"The photos are great, Puck!" Mercedes exclaimed, the joy evident in her eyes.

Puck smirked. "Of course they are."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I hate to admit it, but you did a great job. We've been receiving calls from several connections asking who our photographer was. I guess Andre was wrong when he said that you are finished in the fashion business."

"The guy's an idiot," Puck frowned at the mention of the photographer. "Who cares what he says?"

"Anyway, as much as we'd like to give you our undivided attention, there are other guests. You two have a good time," Kurt smiled as he and Mercedes began mixing with the other guests like proper hosts should.

Rachel was ignoring the clothes on display, her eyes focused on the walls where the pictures that Puck took were displayed. Puck held Rachel's hand and tugged at her. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked quizzically.

"I have a surprise for you."

He led her to a corner of the boutique and pointed at a photo on the wall – the caption read 'Sunshine'.

Rachel's mouth dropped open. It was the photo that he shot of her on their bedroom. The one that he took after she woke up to find him snapping the pictures.

Puck loved the reaction on her face. "So who's the model now, huh?"

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and looked adoringly at him. "Noah Puckerman, you really are my beautiful surprise."

That being said, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. When their lips parted, he looked at her and noticed a rather questioning look on her eyes.

"What?" he asked, his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him.

"I hate to ruin the moment, Noah, but I just realized…" she started. "…if you're not really a model, then I still have no idea where you get your money."

A mischievous grin crept on Puck's face. "And that's how it's going to stay."

* * *

**_A/N: Okay… before you come at me with pitchforks and knives for not revealing where Puck's mystery money comes from, I'd just like to say that I really never meant to reveal it on this story. Hopefully, I could come up with a sequel devoted to finding out where Puck gets his money. As of this point, my working title is NY Puckleberry: Finn Pays a Visit. ;)_**

**_The summary did say that the story is meant to reveal how Puck became a fashion photographer, and it did, so yeah… please don't hate me. _**

**_Anyway, do tell me if you're still interested enough for a sequel.  
_**

**_Hope I didn't disappoint any of you. Thanks to everyone who read the story, added it to their favorites, and especially to those who left a review. I truly appreciate it!_**

**_Finally, if you read the entire story, do give me some feedback. You can PM me or leave it as a review, but help me out as a writer by telling me what I did right or what I did wrong. _**

**_Thanks again! Gab._**

**_Update based on AuroraJaye's review: made a few changes. Thank you for the whack in the head reminding me to get my facts straight. I appreciate it! (Trust me to appreciate a whack in the head when it comes to my writing. haha...)  
_**


	4. NY Puckleberry II: Prologue

**_A/N: So here's the prologue to the sequel. I was going to post it as a new story but eventually decided against it, because I might get in trouble for posting a series as separate stories (guidelines). Anyway, not much happening on this one. Just fluff._**

**

* * *

**

**NY Puckleberry II: Berry Paranoid**

**Prologue**

Rachel woke up to the sound of Puck playing a tune on his guitar. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back turned to her.

She listened for a few minutes and enjoyed the upbeat tune he was playing – although she couldn't quite understand the words because he was muttering them. After staring at his bare back for a few more minutes, she kneeled on the bed and hugged him from behind, her arms snaking from below his arms up his chest, as she laid her chin on his shoulder. "Good morning," she purred.

"Hey, babe," he greeted, reaching backwards to brush his hand down her long brown locks.

"I like what you're playing," she complimented. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Just something I've been working on."

"Oooooh… Are you writing a song?" Rachel cooed, excitedly bouncing up and down the bed on her knees before sitting on the edge beside him. "Let me hear it."

Puck looked at her before making a face. "No."

With furrowed brows, she asked, "No to what? You're not writing a song? Or no… as in you won't let me hear the song?"

"It's not done yet, so you can't hear it yet."

"So you _are_ writing a song!" she screeched.

"Geez… Think you can tone it down a little?" If it weren't for the glint of amusement on his eyes, she would've thought he was annoyed.

"You haven't written anything since you wrote that song for me in high school. Please let me hear it… Come on… Please…"

"Berry, stop bouncing on the bed. You're making me dizzy."

"Come on, Noah. Please let me hear it… Please, please, please, pretty please…"

Puck raised an eyebrow at her. "Pretty please? What are you? In kindergarten?"

Ignoring him, Rachel gave him her best pout before drawling out "Pleeeeeaaaase..."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Fine, but, as I said, it isn't done."

Her face broke into a smile as she nodded.

"This is actually a song about…" He paused – a funny look covering his face. "…ugh, Finn."

Rachel began laughing. "You wrote Finn a song?!"

"That sounds real gay when you put it like that," he scowled. "Just listen to it, okay?"

Rachel tried to hold her giggles, but couldn't stop as she teasingly looked at Puck.

"Come on. Do you want to hear it or not?" Puck snapped at her after she couldn't stop snickering over a couple of seconds.

"Yes, yes… I so want to hear this one."

Puck grinned before starting to play on his guitar. After the intro, he started singing,

_When he was seeing her, you could see he had his doubts  
And now he's missing her, because he knows he's missing out  
Now it's haunting him - the memory's like a ghost  
He's so terrified, 'cause no one else even comes close_

Rachel's mouth dropped open when she realized what the song was really about. Her eyes were set adoringly on Puck as he sang the chorus.__

He's a guy that you should feel sorry for  
He had the world but he thought that he wanted more  
I owe it all to the mistake he made back then  
I owe it all to my girl's ex-boyfriend

She absolutely melted when he winked at her. The song was about Finn alright, but more than that, it was about how Puck was thankful to have her.

_If it wasn't for him, I would still be searching  
If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know my best friend  
If it wasn't for him, he would be able to see  
If it wasn't for him, he would be as happy as me_

He played a few more chords before looking at her, "So what do you think? I'm still working on another stanza and a better ending."

"It sounds great, Noah. I love it. I'm just wondering what inspired you to write something like that."

He shrugged. "Finn's an idiot for letting you go."

To that, Rachel could only blush.

* * *

**_A/N: The song is actually "My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend" by Relient K. Puck didn't write it (nor did I). This is mostly just a short intro. More on the sequel hopefully tomorrow. R&R._**


	5. Who's Olivia Fox?

**_A/N: Didn't get to proofread or edit as much as I normally do, so forgive me if it's a little rough. I hope you enjoy!_**

**

* * *

**

Kurt was fully concentrated on sewing the beadwork on a gorgeous new dress, but all his attempts at focusing on the task was thwarted when a seething Rachel burst inside their design studio and cried, "He's cheating on me!"

"Who is?" Mercedes asked, looking up from her sketches, a quizzical eyebrow raised.

"Ow." Kurt accidentally pricked his finger with the needle, after getting startled by Rachel's grand entrance. "I'm injured."

"Sorry," Sheila, their assistant, apologetically mumbled as she trailed behind Rachel. "She just burst right in."

Mercedes waved a dismissive hand at Sheila. "Don't worry about it. She's family."

Sheila glanced back and forth from Rachel to Mercedes, probably wondering how the two could possibly be related, before shrugging it off and leaving the room.

Rachel had her hands to her hips and she glared vehemently at Mercedes. "Noah of course! Who else?!"

Kurt, who was now rummaging through his bag for a Band-Aid, exchanged glances with Mercedes before turning his head toward Rachel. "Really now? And how, may I ask, did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"I just…" Rachel paused, appearing hesitant, before continuing, "I… I have good reason to believe that this is a fact. I assure you that I'm not being paranoid." She lifted her head regally to support her point.

Mercedes turned away from her work completely, and pointed at a nearby seat, motioning for Rachel to sit beside her. "Come on, diva. Sit and talk."

Rachel pouted before plopping on the seat, looking very much like a five-year-old who didn't get what she wanted.

"Rachel, Puck is crazy about you," Mercedes said in as soothing a voice as she could manage. "What would make you think that he's cheating on you?"

Kurt nodded as he placed the Band-Aid on his finger before leaning on Mercedes' work table to join in on the conversation. "Puck has never been the same since the two of you got together. You seem to be the only person who could bring out the best version of him. Heaven knows why, but you two balance each other out perfectly. Well, you're still a little too bent on the crazy side and he's still a little too bent on the violent side, but…"

Mercedes glared at her best friend. "Hummel, focus," she said before glancing toward Rachel.

"Oh. Right." Kurt raised an eyebrow and looked at Rachel. "So come on, diva… Tell us what's going on."

Rachel frowned, tears beginning to brim her brown eyes. "Well, for one, he's going on a date with a girl named Olivia tonight. While I'm stuck at home doing homework or rehearsing or trying to find ways to improve our future, he's out with some gorgeous girl who's probably the model type and is impossible for me to compete with. It's absolutely unfair and I…"

"Whoa, whoa…" Mercedes rolled her eyes before interrupting. "Hold the pity party. First of all, who's Olivia and how do you know that Puck is dating her?"

Rachel scratched her head, and despite her pending breakdown, a sheepish smile crossed her face. "I… I kind of took a slight peek at his cell phone."

"This just got really interesting," Kurt beamed, "You naughty girl. I didn't know you had it in you. So? Go ahead… spill the rest of the beans."

Rachel glared at Kurt for looking like she was telling him about some sort of showbiz gossip and not that her boyfriend was cheating on her, but eventually decided to just sigh and explain to them what happened.

* * *

Earlier that morning…

_It's mocking me, _Rachel thought as she stared at Puck's cell phone, which was lying on the bedside table. _He left his cell phone behind. Noah's rarely seen without his cell phone. The contraption is practically stuck to him. It's odd that he would forget it. Where is he anyway?_

Rachel tried to recall if he mentioned anything the night before about where he would be that morning. _Oh, yeah… He has a photo shoot… _Rachel rolled her eyes, before muttering under her breath, "Again."

Rachel frowned. _He's been having some really long and hushed phone calls the past few days. And he doesn't exactly give me a solid answer when I ask what they're about. _

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes still on the phone. _I also overheard him reject several offers for a photo shoot. He would say something about having prior engagements. What's that all about? He didn't even have a job before he got work as a photographer… and that is very much owed to Kurt and Mercedes' connections. Maybe it has something to do with how he was getting money before. If I take a peek at the phone, I could probably find an answer._

_But no… it's just not right. Ugh… I wish Noah hadn't told me about how that model came on to him during a photo shoot. I appreciate his honesty, but they don't help my peace of mind much. Still, I guess it would be worse if he hid it from me and I find out from someone else. I cannot believe that a cell phone is driving me this insane!_

Her thoughts were running amok and whatever new brand of crazy possessed Rachel making her as curious as she was, she was convinced that an inanimate object – Puck's cell phone – was mocking her, taunting her, luring her to pick it up and invade her boyfriend's privacy.

Rachel was glaring daggers into the thing as she was trying to control herself from grabbing it and reading its juicy contents.

Alas, she found herself on the losing side of the battle and finally succumbed to the power of the cell phone, which was obviously intentionally tempting her.

With bated breath, she took the contraption in her hands and unlocked the screen. Her first instinct was to check the call logs to find out who he's been having those phone conversations with. She gritted her teeth when she found that both the logs for dialed and received calls contained a stranger's name – Olivia Fox.

_Who's Olivia Fox? _she asked herself. The name did not ring a bell at all. Rachel bit her lip as she navigated the phone to its messages. On top of the message inbox was a message from Olivia – _Great! I'll see you at Gimbal's tonight. 8pm._

She was about to look at the other messages when she heard someone enter the apartment. She quickly navigated the phone back to its home screen and placed it on top of the bedside table. Her heart was pounding as she picked up the book she had been reading, leaned against the bed's headboard, and pretended to be completely into the book.

Within seconds, Puck's head popped inside the half-closed door. "Hey, babe. Is my cell phone here?" he asked.

Rachel looked up, putting on her best _I'm-absolutely-innocent_ face. "You left it?"

"There it is," he said, ignoring her question when he caught sight of the phone.

Rachel watched speechless as he grabbed the phone.

"Ok, have to go now," he said distractedly. "Late for the photo shoot. Bye, babe."

"Noah," Rachel started.

Puck stopped and turned his head toward her. "Yeah?"

"What are your plans tonight?"

Puck shrugged and without batting an eyelash, he said, "I'll probably just hit the gym. Why?"

Rachel's heart sank as she shook her head. "Nothing. Have a great day."

"You too, babe," Puck gave her a quick peck on the lips. He then gave her a funny look. "Uhm, Rach, your book's upside down."

* * *

"He lied to me," Rachel declared as she finished telling Kurt and Mercedes the story. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"I don't think he's cheating on you," was Kurt's conclusion, as he placed one hand on his waist. "Rachel, 'I'll see you at Gimbal's' hardly constitutes cheating. From your reaction a while ago, I would've thought that it was something like Quinn finding out about Puck and Santana's sexts."

Rachel's eyes grew wide open. "Sexts? Noah and Santana? While he was still with Quinn?"

"Whoops," Kurt piped up. "You didn't know about that?"

"You're not helping, Hummel." Mercedes shot a you-talk-too-much glare at Kurt before turning to Rachel. "That issue is so ancient, Rachel. That was ages before you and Puck got together. I think that goes back way before our first sectionals. Don't worry about that."

Rachel frowned. "Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "The issue here is that he lied to me about it. If it's a perfectly innocent thing going on between this Olivia and him, why wouldn't he tell me about it?"

Mercedes shrugged. "Maybe he's not meeting up with her. You didn't exactly see his sent messages so you're not really sure if he agreed to meet up with her. He may be at the gym after all. There could be a lot of possibilities, Rach."

"I'm getting so paranoid over him!" Rachel exclaimed, holding her head with both hands.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, diva. You are. You know what? There's a quick solution to this. We all want to find out if he's going to meet with this Olivia woman and I, for one, am dying to see what she looks like. The solution is pretty clear: we're going to Gimbal's at 8pm tonight."

Rachel and Mercedes exchanged glances.

The glint in Rachel's eyes was enough to say that she was totally up for it.

* * *

Later that night…

Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes took their seats on one of the music bar's tables. They had picked a spot that was on a corner so that they were somewhat hidden, but where the entrance was still within eye-shot.

They expected the place to be packed since it was a Saturday night. There were a lot of people there, but not as many as they had thought.

"It's 8pm already," Rachel announced. She'd been doing a time check every five or so minutes.

"Maybe he's at the gym like he said he would be," Mercedes, who had her back to the door, brought up.

"Nope," Kurt said. "There he is right now."

Rachel looked up and Mercedes turned her head to see Puck enter the restaurant.

Rachel held her breath as she waited to see who he was with. When she saw the person following her boyfriend, her mouth dropped open.

"Finn?!" all three of them exclaimed in hushed unison.

Mercedes turned a confused look at Rachel, who shrugged in response.

Both of them cast a glance at Kurt. Surprisingly, he had a delighted smile on his face as he said, with eyes twinkling, "So is Finn an Olivia now?"

* * *

**_A/N: What's going on?! Find out on the next edition of NY Puckleberry. _**

**_BTW, I don't own Glee. Tsk, tsk._**

**_R&R._**


	6. Not Exactly What It Seems

Rachel and Mercedes gave Kurt a pointed look, before both of them simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"What?!" Kurt's eyes widened. "Just saying..." A slight smile formed on his lips.

All three of them sat in awkward silence as they watched Puck and Finn take a seat on another corner of the room.

Mercedes looked over at Kurt, since Rachel seemed too distracted watching her boyfriend and his best friend. "Maybe he's meeting up with Finn and this Olivia girl," Mercedes offered with a slight shrug.

Rachel really wasn't listening. Her mind was reeling, trying to comprehend what was going on. With a determined huff, and without a word to inform her companions what she had in mind, she stood up and marched her way to Puck and Finn's table.

Mercedes and Kurt exchanged glances, worry traced in their eyes.

Mercedes' brow raised. "This should be interesting."

* * *

"Rachel!" Finn exclaimed, as he stood up and gave Rachel a hug.

Puck looked up from his menu and raised an eyebrow surprised to find his girlfriend practically disappearing in his giant of a best friend's embrace.

When Finn let go of her, Rachel smiled and looked up at him, appearing genuinely happy to see their friend. "It feels as if I haven't seen you for the longest time, Finn. I can't believe Noah didn't tell me you were in town!"

Puck cringed at that last statement, even as Rachel gave him a questioning look as he pulled a seat out for her. He gave Finn a look to ask for help.

"I kind of asked him not to tell," Finn explained as he took the seat across Rachel. "I wanted to go over some stuff with him. You know... just us guys."

"Oh," Rachel said, thoughtfully, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "Then I guess I did nothing but ruin it for you by barging in like this, didn't I?"

Finn gave her a sheepish smile. "Kinda."

Rachel frowned as she glanced at Puck who was now sitting beside her. "I'm with Kurt and Mercedes," she said, pointing at the table she came from. "We wanted to unwind from the insanity that has been our lives lately." She then looked at Puck, and explained, "I thought you'd be at the gym, so I simply concluded that you wouldn't mind if I went out tonight. I certainly wouldn't mind leaving the two of you alone if that is what you wish..."

"No," Puck interrupted her, "You're here already. Finn and I can talk some other time." He gestured at Kurt and Mercedes, who were both watching them like hawks, to come over.

Finn gave him a questioning look. "Are you sure?"

Puck shrugged. "They're going to find out soon enough. Why not now?"

Rachel creased her brows. "Find out what?"

"Yes. Find out what?" Kurt had his eyebrow raised, arriving just in time to hear Puck's last statement. He and Mercedes gestured for a waiter to help them get more seats for the table.

Before either Puck or Finn could respond, a beautiful redhead came over their table. "Hey, boys," she greeted, nodding towards Puck and giving Finn a peck on the lips. "Sorry I'm late. I see we have company."

Puck tried hard not to groan as he acknowledged Olivia. _So much for Finn's "just us guys" explanation... _he mused while rubbing his neck.

"Hey, babe," Finn greeted. "These are some of our friends from high school. That's Rachel Berry, Noah's girlfriend. And that's Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones. This is my girlfriend, Olivia Fox."

Olivia's mouth dropped open. "_The_ Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones?! 13KM?! I love your clothing line!" she cooed.

Puck smirked at the reaction on Kurt and Mercedes' faces. He could tell that the duo liked her instantly.

"And you..." she turned toward Rachel. "I've heard so much about you! So have you agreed to do the album with Finn?"

Rachel creased her brows, her eyes hovering from Olivia to Finn to Puck, seeking for some sort of explanation.

Puck and Finn exchanged glances. _Guess the cat's out of the bag, _Puck thought before he nodded at Finn, giving him the go signal to explain.

* * *

A few months ago... **_(A/N: Before Puck became a photographer. ;)_**

Puck had just left the gym when his phone began ringing. He was surprised to see the name on the caller id. _Finn Hudson._

"Hey, Finn. Sup?" Puck answered.

"How'd you know it was me?" Finn asked.

"I have your number. Caller ID."

There was a pause from the other end of the line. "Oh." Another pause.

Puck huffed before saying impatiently, "Dude, what is it?"

"Oh... uh... have you been writing songs lately?"

"No, not really. I've been playing around with some tunes, but I haven't done a single song since the last few we did senior year. Why?"

"Do you think you could still work with me to come up with a couple of songs?"

Puck raised an eyebrow curiously as he walked across the parking lot to his car. "Yeah... I guess. What for?"

"I don't want to explain over the phone. I'll be visiting New York this weekend. Let's meet up to talk about it."

"Uh, sure..." Puck shrugged as he opened his car door. "Just say when and where."

"Ok. Cool. See you then."

Puck's brows furrowed as he settled himself on the driver seat, wondering what his best friend was up to.

* * *

That weekend at Gimbal's...

"This is a nice place. How'd you find out about it?" Puck asked as they took their seats in front of the bar.

"Olivia owns it. She figured a music bar would be a great way to discover some talent," Finn explained.

"Olivia?" Puck asked.

Finn smiled. "You remember that song you helped me finish? Haven't Met You Yet?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah... what about it?"

"I sang it on an open night at the opening of the Gimbal's branch in LA. Olivia was there that night of course, and she loved it. Her dad owns a record label, and she talked to me about signing a deal."

Puck kept silent, waiting for more.

"She's actually based here in New York, so I'm thinking of moving here. I don't really know... Anyway, her dad heard the song and is talking about a recording contract if I could come up with enough songs for an album. Thus, the reason I'm bugging you about writing more songs."

"Wow," was all Puck could say at first. "Yeah, man... sure. I'd be glad to help."

"I was thinking maybe we could have Rachel help us too," Finn brought up skeptically. "Maybe she could also record some of the songs... You know... a couple of duets."

Puck thought it out. For some reason, he didn't want to bring Rachel in on this just yet. It wasn't that Finn and Rachel had a lot of history. He was secure enough in what he and Rachel had to be threatened by that. It was more than that. "No," Puck responded. "Let's not involve Rachel just yet."

"Why not?"

Puck shrugged. "I don't know, man. If I'm going to do this, I want this to be my thing. I don't want her to be all over me about it."

"I know Rachel. If you ask her to back off, I'm sure she will. She isn't as crazy as she was back in high school."

Puck sighed before trying to explain. "Yeah. I know that. It's not her really..." He gritted his teeth, hating that he felt like he had to explain this to Finn of all people. "I have my reasons okay? Besides, she's busy enough with school and everything to add this to the things she has to worry about."

Finn nodded. "If you say so, man. But you do know we could really use her expertise, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure I can get her thoughts on stuff like that without having to tell her about the details."

Over the next few months, Puck and Finn kept close contact as they collaborated on song lines and the arrangement of each song. Olivia didn't bother them much about it, but asked for updates once in a while.

It was also over the next few months that Finn and Olivia's relationship blossomed.

Puck didn't feel great about hiding the whole thing from Rachel, especially knowing that it was something that she'd be ecstatic about, but he hasn't exactly been an open book to her. He liked to think that he was keeping things "mysterious", but if that was all there is to it, he wasn't sure.

* * *

When Finn finished explaining, Rachel was awfully quiet. So quiet, she was making Puck nervous.

"You mean you didn't know all this time?" Olivia asked Rachel.

Rachel shook her head, looking at Puck questioningly.

Puck gestured toward her. "Outside?"

She nodded. They've learned to work together like clockwork, understanding each other more than anyone else could. Without another word and without even bothering to explain to the other people on the table, they both stood up and walked outside.

Olivia looked around at the table and broke the silence. "So? Maybe you guys would want to sing on stage? Liven things up?"

* * *

"Why couldn't you have just told me, Noah?" Rachel asked the moment they stepped out of the bar into the open air.

Puck scratched his head. "I don't know... I..."

Rachel was looking up at him, looking kind of hurt.

Puck blew out a sigh. "Look, Rachel. You're going to be a star. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when."

Rachel's eyes moistened at that statement.

"This will sound really selfish of me, but when Finn told me about the whole thing - about the songwriting and everything, I wanted to do it for myself, you know? Prove that I could do it on my own. Prove that I'm not just some deadbeat... Maybe even prove that I deserve you."

A sympathetic smile broke on her pretty face. "To whom are you attempting to prove all these to, Noah?"

"To myself..." Puck admitted with a shrug. "More to myself than anyone else."

Without any warning, Rachel hit him hard on the arm.

"Ow. What was that for?" he growled, more surprised than hurt.

"I cannot, for the life of me, fathom that I'm hearing this from you! Noah Puckerman of all people!" she exclaimed.

He looked at her in bewilderment. "Back to crazy, Berry?"

She rolled her eyes in response, before taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the influx of words that would inevitably come out. "Noah, after all this time, I simply can't believe that you could still think that it's possible for you to become just another Lima deadbeat. You are Noah Puckerman - songwriter, renowned fashion photographer, the best boyfriend ever - and so much more. Isn't it about time that you stop selling yourself short?" With that, Rachel reached for him, grabbing his neck with both hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

When their lips parted, Rachel whispered in his ear - quite breathlessly - "You have no idea how in love I am with you right now."

Despite himself, Puck smiled. He squeezed her tightly against himself. "So you're not mad?" he asked when he let go of her.

She shook her head as her eyes took on a pensive gaze. "Not if you don't get mad at me."

Puck raised his eyebrow. "Why?"

She bit her lip and took his hand in hers, rubbing her palm against his. "I went here, because I thought you were cheating on me..."

"What? Why?"

Rachel explained everything that had happened and why she showed up at Gimbal's.

When she finished her story, she skeptically looked at Puck. To her surprise, he just began laughing. "Well, right back at ya, Berry. After all this time, I can't believe that you would think I would intentionally do anything to lose you. I can't repeat everything you said to me awhile ago, but you're crazy if you think you can get rid of me that easily."

He brushed a hand on her long brown hair, loving the feel of her soft locks beneath his skin.

"Do you really mean that?" Rachel asked.

"Heck yeah."

"Why was it Olivia's number registering on your phone anyway?"

"Finn and Olivia are crazy. They got identical cell phones so they keep on getting their phones switched. You won't believe how similar those two are."

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry for not trusting you."

Puck shrugged. "Can't blame you. It's not your fault your boyfriend is such a stud."

Rachel giggled, liking that his usual arrogant self was back, but she didn't have to let him know that, so she simply hit him again as she rolled her eyes. "Your vanity astounds me."

Puck smiled smugly as if he'd just been given a huge compliment. "I know. It's one of the reasons you're crazy about me."

She could only shake her head. She had nothing to say to that, because he was right.

* * *

Later that night...

Puck, Olivia, Kurt and Mercedes were on stage doing a crazy rendition of Seasons of Love.

Rachel and Finn, on the other hand, had just sat down for a break after doing their own string of performances.

"So this is it, huh?" Rachel commented.

"This is what?" Finn asked.

"This is how Puck has been earning money this past few months? Songwriting?" Rachel asked.

Finn frowned. "Nah... Neither of us have gotten a single cent out of this yet, although I'm thinking we'll be raking in the cash soon enough."

Rachel's face took on myriad of expressions. "So it's not the modeling, not the songwriting... what is it then?"

"What is what?"

"How does Puck always have money on him?"

Finn shrugged.

"I am going to find out," Rachel huffed determinedly.

Finn stared at him nervously. "You have that scary crazy-eyed look on your face, Rachel."

Rachel only smiled. "It doesn't matter. Tomorrow, Operation Stalk Noah Puckerman will commence."

Really having no idea what she was talking about, Finn could only nod and say, "Whatever you say, Rachel."

* * *

**_Okay... this chapter's been a long time coming, but hey! It's up! Finally._**

**_Songs referenced are Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble and Seasons of Love from Rent._**

**_I think I've went kind of OOC... uhm... yeah... should I apologize? Sorry._**

**_So the next chapter will reveal the source of the Mystery Money. Finally._**

**_Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _**


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